Taxi Driver

Round 3: "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975) vs. "Taxi Driver" (1976)

Both actors hit their stride with these roles of social misfits driven to extreme measures: Pacino's bungling bank robber Sonny Wortzik, who's simply trying to procure funds for his lover's sex-change operation; and ... moreDe Niro's Travis Bickle, the tour guide of the damned who takes up arms to protect an underage prostitute. Each actor, of course, delivers his own catchphrase with an intensity that's frightening ("Attica! Attica!" and "You talkin' to me?"). Pound for pound, the stars are evenly matched here; these two performances essentially set the tone for almost everything that came after in terms of acting, and established Pacino and De Niro as the standards against which screen sociopaths would forever be judged. Oh, and just for the record: Yes, we were talkin' to you, Travis.

Winner: This one is a draw. It's just too close to call!

(Everett Collection)